Hello! How are you?

I’m really glad you decided to check out the first chapter of my novel. This is actually my first time writing a full-length story.
I’m from Indonesia, maybe you’ve heard of Bali? Yup, that’s part of Indonesia! English isn’t my first language, and I’ve been learning it through reading and playing games lol. I especially love RPGs like Zelda BOTW  and Final Fantasy series!
I’m just an amateur author and a passionate reader. After reading so many great stories, I finally decided to write down all the ideas and worlds that have been building up in my head. I often thought, “How amazing would it be if I could give others the same satisfying feeling I get from reading those great novels?”
Since I’m still learning, there may be mistakes along the way. I truly appreciate honest feedback, and I will need your help to make this story even better. I’m open to suggestions and willing to work hard to improve.

Just a quick heads-up: the early chapters lean more slice-of-life, and the pacing is a bit slow at first.
Things start cooking around Chapter 6, and really pick up from Chapters 12 to 20.
While it begins lighthearted, this story isn’t just about humor and slice-of-life.
There’s something deeper underneath, I just like to take my time with the worldbuilding.
Hope you enjoy the ride!

⚠️ Content Warning:
⚠️ Some of the jokes might not be for everyone. If something doesn’t suit your taste, feel free to brush past it.
The plot unfolds gradually over many chapters, and while it takes its time, I hope your patience will be rewarded with a satisfying payoff. ❤️

⚠️ This story blends absurd comedy, chaotic POVs, and occasional emotional gut-punches. 

Also, about the title:
Technically, “die” is the singular word for one dice, and “dice” is the plural form.
(Yeah... English being English.)

collinsdictionary.com: In old-fashioned English, 'dice' was used only as a plural form, but now 'dice' is used as both the singular and the plural form.
 
I chose “dice” because it simply sounds better.
If I had used “die,” the title would’ve been “I Was Reincarnated Into Die” which honestly sounds like a tragic poetry anthology… or someone’s last words in a bad translation. 

I know it’s bending the rules a bit, but hey... I figure authors get a little wiggle room when it comes to naming things, right?
So… let me have this one.

Thanks again for giving it a shot!
Any feedback, review, or adding this to your favorites/library means the world to this little “Dice”! 🎲

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Volume 1. Prologue

I wasn’t the kind of guy who believed in fate.

Or reincarnation.

Or good luck, for that matter.

My life? I thought I was extraordinary. A 20-year-old bachelor with a freshly-minted PhD. Turns out, “Doctor” doesn’t mean much when every job still wants five years of experience and a personality.

So, my life was decent—nothing to make headlines, but nothing that’d land me in a crime documentary either. The kind where your neighbor’s dog has more going on.
I worked from home, occasionally visited the gym (but only when guilt outweighed laziness), and indulged in a few odd little pleasures: late-night gacha pulls I always regretted, reruns of comedy anime from a decade ago, and the holy grail of comfort food, mango float. Homemade, of course. My version was 70% cream, 30% regret, and 100% worth it.

Most of my day was a cycle of muted Zoom calls, overcooked microwave dinners, and finding new excuses not to clean my browser history. Occasionally, I'd wonder what it would feel like to live in a fantasy world. You know: swords, spells, elves, dwarves and dragons just like the ancient worlds I watched in movies. I’d swing an umbrella around pretending it was a wand, chanting “Expecto Patronum” at my laundry pile, imagining I was battling a bald villain with no nose. Maybe, if I was lucky, I’d even get some romance.

Then I’d stub my toe on the bedframe and remember why I wasn’t cut out for adventure.

That’s why when it happened, I didn’t process it immediately.

Death, I mean.

It was a perfectly ordinary day. I’d just finished paying for a limited-edition PS5 game I absolutely didn’t need and was heading toward the door. Some kid inside had been rolling a huge plastic Poké Ball around like it was a dodgeball.

“Pikachu, I choose you!” he yelled, and tossing it into the air like a beach ball.

I turned to look.

Wrong move.

The ball bounced off a shelf, smacked the edge of a ceiling fan, and launched straight into my face.

“Yo, heads up!” someone shouted.
Too late.

CRIT.

I stumbled back, tripped over my own feet, and—

Crack.
The back of my skull slammed into the corner of the checkout counter.
Occipital bone. Right above the brainstem. Cerebellum nearby.

In that moment, for the first time ever, my PhD was actually useful.

I knew exactly what was about to happen if those parts took a hit that hard.
Basically, I pressed the shutdown button on myself.

The brainstem handles things like breathing, consciousness, and keeping your heart beating.

You hit it hard enough, you don’t just pass out.
You clock out.

Your brain goes, “Welp. That’s our retirement cue. Ciao.”

So yeah. That’s how I died.

Surrounded by gacha toys, overpriced figurines, and a kid yelling "Pikachu, I choose you!" like he was casting a spell on my soul.

Was it dumb?

Absolutely.
Was it avoidable?
Also yes.

Figures. Just my luck…if anyone was gonna get taken out like this and wake up in another world, it’d be me.

You don’t need a truck—just poor balance, a six-year-old with bad aim, and, most importantly, whoever’s writing my fate had a twisted sense of humor about my life.

In that frozen instant, right before everything blinked out, I had one dumb thought:

Did I even do anything that mattered before I died?

And just like that… my gacha streak ended. Permanently.

---

There was no light.

No tunnel.

Just the sound of something indescribable in the darkness.

And then… a voice. Calm. Ancient. The kind of voice that made the hairs on my neck stand up.

“Finally ###### the #### ### come.”

The world didn’t fade in — it compressed around me. I wasn’t falling or floating. I was being shaped, like clay forced into a mold I didn’t ask for.

Pressure. Warmth. A heartbeat. Muffled voices. Sounds like plastic rustling in water.

I couldn’t move.

I couldn’t speak.

But I could feel. And that was the most terrifying part.

Am I… being born? Was this it? Reincarnation?

The weird part? I wasn’t that scared. Just confused. And mildly annoyed.

I didn’t remember seeing a magic circle. No evil truck-kun. No goddess offering me cheat skills. Not even a generic blue menu screen like in those web novels I read.

This is not how it’s supposed to go. Maybe this is just a dream… I tried to calm myself. Just go with it.

Then — light. Blinding. Like someone aimed the sun directly at my eyeballs.

Voices. A laugh. A cry.

Something wrapped around me — not like arms. More like string? No, smooth… hard? I couldn’t tell.

And then I heard it.

“Aah… ooo…”

The sound came from around me.

A baby...

…Wait. I'm the baby?

I forced my eyes open. I could feel movement. I was swinging gently. Like being cradled.

I heard voices. They called me Lyra. Said I was such a beautiful angel.

Then I saw them — two faces staring at me like I was the most precious thing in the world.

My mom. My dad. Probably.

A warm family. Loving parents. Peace

Not bad, right?

Could’ve been worse.

But then it hit me.

Like, really hit me.

BANG!

Something cracked in my brain. Not physically, but spiritually. Like a brain lightning bolt.

This should not BE REAL. I was a full-grown, healthy, perfectly average man — and now I was reborn as a girl??

HOW am I supposed to process marriage now?

Do I need to start researching fantasy skincare routines?!
What if some six-pack sparkle prince calls me “my lady” in a voice thicker than plot armor and deeper than a villain’s tragic backstory?!
And worst of all… what if I actually fall for him?! What am I supposed to do then??

Whoever’s running reincarnation logistics is clearly messing with me.

I hope you get reincarnated by something that gets divided by zero and you get—

The world spun. My vision dimmed. Maybe it was the mental shock… or just emotional trauma.

I felt so... tired.

A heavy drowsiness pulled at my thoughts, blurring the curse I just unleashed into the universe. I couldn’t even hold on to the last insult properly.

My consciousness faded like a power outage.